Inversion or tilt indicator



Sept. 16, 1969 M. DAVIS ETAL 3,467,053

INVERSION 0R TILT INDICATOR Filed April 25, 1968 WILLIAM M. LANDER GEORGE M. DAVIS INVENTOR.

ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,467,053 INVERSION OR TILT INDICATOR George M. Davis, Rochester, and William M. Lander, Horseheads, N.Y., assignors to Index Packages, Inc., Pittsford, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Apr. 25, 1968, Ser. No. 724,190 Int. Cl. G0ld 21/00 U.S. Cl. 116-114 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A device to indicate package inversion is formed as a card having an aperture enclosed by a lamina over each face of the chamber. The inward face of each lamina is coated with pressure-sensitive adhesive, and at least the front lamina is translucent. A band lodged in a slot extending across the aperture blocks particles from an indicator passageway, and the band extends beyond the edge of the card for manual removal from the slot to activate the indicator. An outlet passageway from the storage chamber is shaped so that particles bouncing upward are deflected back into the storage chamber and cannot produce a false indication of inversion. A pressure-sensitive adhesive coating covered by a peel-off strip on the back lamina of the card allows convenient adhering of the device upright on a package for shipment. Any inversion of the package lets the particles trickle through the outlet passageway into the indicator passageway where they stick to the pressure-sensitive adhesive of the covering laminae for a permanent indication that the package has been inverted.

Prior art inversion indicators, such as shown in the U.S. patents to Tinsley, No. 2,674,221 and Salembier, No. 3,207,122, allowed false inversion indication from bouncing particles or splashing liquid and were relatively diflicult and inconvenient to mount and actuate.

The objects of this invention include without limitation:

(a) Overcoming the deficiencies of prior art inversion indicators;

(b) Providing an indicator that will not falsely indicate an inversion or tilting of the package in which it is mounted when such package has been merely bounced or jiggled; and

(c) An inversion indicator that is convenient, tamper proof, foolproof, economically made, and competitive with prior art inversion indicators.

These and other objects of the invention will be apparent hereinafter from the specification which describes the invention, its use, operation, and preferred embodiments, from the drawings, which constitute a part of the disclosure, and from the subject matter claimed.

Generally, the inventive inversion or tilt indicator includes: a card having an aperture the edges of which are configured to define a storage chamber, a relatively narrow outlet passageway leading from the storage chamber and directed toward an aperture edge that is generally transverse to the outlet passageway, and an indicator passageway communicating with the side of the outlet passageway in the region of the transverse edge; a slot generally transverse to the indicator passageway and communicating with the indicator passageway; a translucent lamina having a pressure-sensitive adhesive face secured to the front face of the card to cover the aperture; a backing lamina having a pressure-sensitive adhesive coating securing it to the rear face of the card to cover the aperture; a pressure sensitive adhesive coating on the rear face of the backing lamina and a peel-off covering strip overlying such rearward facing adhesive coating; a charge of brightly colored particles in the storage chamber visi- 3,467,053 Patented Sept. 16, 1969 ice ble through the front lamina; and a band lodged in the slot to close the indicator passageway to particles and extending beyond an edge of the card in a grippable tab for withdrawing the band from the indicator passageway.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a front elevation of a preferred embodiment of the inventive inversion indicator; and

FIG. 2 is a cross section of the embodiment of FIG. 1 taken along the line 22 thereof.

The illustrated embodiment of the inventive indicator is formed of a card 10 preferably of cardboard or plastic that is die cut to provide an aperture 11 and a slot 12. Aperture 11 includes: a circular storage chamber 13; an outlet passageway 14 that is directed obliquely upward toward an aperture edge 15 disposed transversely of outlet passageway 14; and an indicator passageway 16 extending above outlet passageway 14 and transverse wall 15, and communicating with outlet passageway 14 along one side thereof. Slot 12 extends inward from one edge of card 10 into communication with indicator passageway 16 and generally transversely of indicator passageway 16. Preferably, the upper end of indicator passageway 16 terminates in an arrow head shaped indicator chamber 17.

A front lamina 18 and a rear lamina 19 are secured to card 10 to cover and close aperture 11. Front lamina 18 is formed of translucent material, and its rear face is coated with pressure-sensitive adhesive for securing lamina 18 to card 10 and overlying aperture 11. Backing lamina 19 has its forward face coated with a pressuresensitive adhesive that secures backing lamina 19 to the rear of card 10 and covers the rear of aperture 11.

The rear face of backing lamina 19 is also coated with a pressure-sensitive adhesive and covered by a peel-off strip 20 to protect such adhesive before use. Peel-off strip 20 is preferably larger in either length or width than backing lamina 19 to afford a free edge for gripping and peeling away strip 20.

A band 21, preferably of thin metal, is lodged in slot 12 to extend across indicator passageway 16. Band 21 extends outward beyond an edge of card 10 in a tab 22 that is grippable for withdrawing band 21 from slot 12. A charge 23 of brightly colored particles or powder is deposited in storage chamber 13, and band 21 blocks such particles from entry into indicator passageway 16. Particles 23 are visible through translucent front lamina 18 and a fraction of such particles stick to the pressure-sensitive coating on lamina 18 over storage chamber 13 to color the area of aperture 11 below slot 12 as indicated by shading.

In operation, peel-off strip 20 is removed from the back of the indicator, and by its rearward facing, pressure-sew sitive adhesive coating, it is secured upright in the illustrated orientation either on the inside or outside of a package for shipment. Band 21 is removed from slot 12 by pulling outward on tab 22, to the position shown by the broken line in FIG. 1. Indicator passageway 16 and indicator chamber 17 are then opened for receiving particles 23 from storage chamber 13. The device thus mounted rides with the package to its destination to record any inversion or severe tilting of the package.

During transit, particles 23 may bounce upward into the outlet passageway 14, but since passageway 14 is directed obliquely aside toward transverse edge 15, bouncing particles are diverted aside from indicator passageway 16 and do not rise above slot 12. If the package is inverted or severely tilted, particles 23 run through outlet passageway 14, past slot12, and into indicator passageway 16 and indicator chamber 17. Such particles at once adhere to the adhesive surfaces of laminae 18 and 19 to color passageway 16 and indicator chamber 17, aflording a visible indication that the package has been inverted. If the package is reverted to its normal upright orientation, sufficient numbers of particles 23 remain adhering to the adhesive coatings of indicator passageway 16 and indicator chamber 17 to afford a permanent record of the inversion.

Passageway 14 can be formed in a variety of ways to afford a jog or non-linear pass through which particles 23 cannot travel by bouncing alone. Preferably, passageway 14 is configured so that only an actual inversion or severe tilting of the package will allow particles 23 to pass beyond slot 12. Also, various means can be used for mounting the inventive indicator, and various arrangements can be made for a manually withdrawable band or dam to block off particles from the indicator passageway before the device is actuated.

It will thus be seen that the invention accomplishes its above-stated objects in providing an inversion indicator that is economical, accurate, easy and convenient to apply and actuate, tamperproof, and free from false indications. Other features, advantages, and other specific embodiments of this invention will be apparent to those exercising ordinary skill in the pertinent art after considering the foregoing disclosure. In this regard, while specific preferred embodiments have been described in detail, such disclosure is intended as illustrative, rather than limiting, and other embodiments, variations, and modifications can be effected within the spirit and scope of the invention as disclosed and claimed. Furthermore, the following claimed subject matter is intended to cover fully all the aspects of the disclosed invention that are unobvious over prior art, including all equivalent embodiments.

We claim:

1. An inversion or tilt indicator device comprising a 4 sure-sensitive adhesive on one face thereof and securing said translucent lamina to said front face of said card to cover said first and second bores and said slot, a flat backing lamina having pressure-sensitive adhesive on both faces thereof, said backing lamina being secured to said rear face of said card and covering said first and second bores and said slot, at peel-off covering strip overlying the exposed face of said backing lamina, said laminae constituting with said first and second bores and said slot, a storage-chamber, indicator chamber and an interconnecting passageway, a charge of brightly colored particles placed in said storage chamber and readily visible through said translucent lamina, a through passage formed in said 'card and communicating transversely with said passageway, a blocking band positioned in said passage and extending across said passageway to blockthe fiow of said particles from said storage chamber to said indicator chamber, a portion of said band extending beyond one .edge of said card and constituting a grippable tab for withdrawing said band from said passage.

2. The indicator device of claim 1 wherein said indicator chamber is formed generally in the shape of an arrowhead. l

' 3. The indicator device of claim 1 including means on said front face of said card for indicating upright orientation of said card.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,215,992 9/1940 Andrews 73-492 2,674,221 4/ 1954 Tinsley 116-114 2,768,602 10/1956 Eichholz et al. 116-1 14 2,995,927 8/ 1961 Sidles 73--503 XR 3,097,534 7/1963 Pasieka 73492 3,207,122 9/1965 Salembier ll6l 14 LOUIS J. CAPOZI, Primary Examiner US. Cl.- X.R." 

